Water Quality

Our lake and stream water quality monitoring program started in 1989 in response to observations of degraded water quality in several lakes in the central Adirondacks. This program has grown steadily over the years and is now the most geographically extensive monitoring network in the Adirondack region. The waters in our network represent a broad range in morphometric and watershed characteristics and include least-impacted waters located in protected watersheds to highly impacted waters located in developed watersheds. The data collected from this network is used to educate and inform lake users, identify trends of concern, inform policy, and support our research projects. We have modern facilities and are well equipped to undertake a variety of monitoring projects.

The mission of the Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith's College is to protect clean water, conserve habitat, and support the health and well-being of people in the Adirondacks through science, collaboration, and real world experiences for students.